283 - - Episode 281 Pre-opening

Ruby and her friends have decided to hold a pre-opening of the village of spirits because they say their store is ready. I was a little worried when I told them about it, because of how excited Belle and Fukuchan and the others were, but, well, special situations are easier to understand to reveal problems. ......

I sip a cup of coffee to wake up and think about my plans for the day, then leave the room. As usual, I am greeted by the belles and we exchange morning greetings. But they are more energetic than usual, perhaps because they are excited about today's pre-opening.

I head into the living room with my equipment and the Belles, who are happily clinging to me, and exchange morning greetings with Sylphy, Gina, and Fukuchan, who have already gathered. As I had asked, all the great spirits are here today.

"Yuta, let's eat!

As I was sitting on the living room sofa, Flair said to me like I shouldn't forget. He seems to think I'm forgetting because I usually prepare breakfast after saying good morning to him. It's quite a heartbreaking thing when a little girl looks at you like you're in trouble.

"We'll have breakfast in the village of spirits today, so it'll be a little later. Can you stand it, Flair?"

"...... Of course!"

Perhaps not expecting to start breakfast in the village of spirits, he was a little surprised, then nodded happily and went to Belle and the others to report. Belle and her friends, who had been playing with Sylphy and the others, were excited to hear the story of Flare. It's like yesterday all over again.

"Yuta, let's go!" "Cue!"

Bell on Rain comes charging toward us, rushing us with a big smile on his face. But there's still a little time left before the appointed time. I pat Belle and Rain, who are floating in front of me, and tell them that I will wait a little longer before we leave.

Belle and Rain return to report to Tulu and the others. They are in high spirits this morning. Speaking of which, there's something I need to confirm with Belle and Fuchu.

"Did you guys make sure you got all the missing spirit stones?　You can't make purchases without exchanging money at the exchange counter in paradise."

"I made it!" "I made it!" "Queue!" "I'm fine!" "Koo-koo!" "You're good! ......"""Ho"""Pugyu!""" Wahoo!""" ......"

Oh, okay, okay, don't show me so many at once. Belle and Fuchu and the other girls are packed together like dumplings, showing us the missing pieces of each spirit stone. You've made two for each of us, just like you said. That shouldn't be a problem.

We wait in the living room until the appointed time, and leave at the appointed time, placating the excited Belle and Fukuchan. There are only four stores left, and I'm starting to get a little worried that I won't be able to live up to everyone's expectations.

"Okay, everyone, we'll move together in the morning, so follow me and don't get separated from the rest of the group.

We arrive at the village of spirits and call out to everyone. It feels a little strange to talk to them as if we were talking to children since Sylphy and the others are there, but it can't be helped since our main focus is on Belle and Fukuchan and the others.

"First of all, we have to go to the money changer. This is where we exchange the missing spirit stones for money. Make sure you line up in the correct order.

Belle and Fuchu cheerfully reply. They are all very nice girls, so there is nothing to worry about, except for their high spirits. After a brief explanation of the procedure, we all went inside the exchange counter, where Citrine was sitting alone at the counter in the back of the store.

"Welcome to ......."

Citrine, you're talking too loud. If I were in any tavern, I'd have to redo my training. Well, since we are spirits, there's no need to get so worked up. Belle and Fuchu are hurriedly lining up in front of Citrine.

"Koryu!"

Belle happily opens her hands in front of Citrine. It seems that she was holding a broken stone in her right hand and a broken stone in her left hand.

"...... Two broken pieces of the Spirit Stone. I will exchange them for six thousand elts.

Citrine takes the two broken pieces of the spirit stone from Bell and pours sixty copper coins roughly into a cloth bag. It looks like she has placed the copper coins in separate 30-coin piles ahead of time. And he has even prepared a cloth bag to serve as a wallet. ...... Citrine is very good.

And maybe the reason why they don't use large copper coins is because they think that Belle and Fuchu would be more pleased if they have a lot of coins. Belle, Rain and Fukuchan in the back of the line look happy to see the copper coins jingling in the cloth bag. Citrine's aim is right on target.

However, the name ...... is still inconvenient. I'll definitely suggest a new name for it in tonight's discussion.

"Yuta. "Yuta.

Belle receives a cloth bag filled with coins from Citrine and comes to report with a big smile on her face. It makes me smile to see Belle clutching the bag tightly with both hands. I remember when I received my first purse as a child, I was like that.

It was a colorful cheap wallet with Velcro, but I remember how happy I was. I remember opening and closing the wallet many times, and putting some incomprehensible card made of cardboard in the card slot. ...... It's getting embarrassing now that I remember. For now, let's just praise Bell who proudly holds up the cloth bag in front of me.

The exchange of money between Belle and Fukuchan goes on, and I praise all the contracted spirits who come to report to me. Next to me, Gina and the others are also praising Fukuchan and the others who have finished exchanging money. ...... I wonder if that's my influence.

The Bells and Fukuchans each proudly hold a cloth bag filled with copper coins. I wonder if Citrine had some ingenious ideas for the cloth bags, like a string to hang the purse from the neck, or a string to tie it to the body for the slime types like Moon. It's really a very detailed work of art.

After the exchange between Belle and Fukuchan, Sylphy and the other big spirits also exchange money. They don't make a fuss as expected, but it is impressive that they seem to be happy. Especially, Dine seems to be itching for something.

...... Well, maybe it is interesting that even the Great Spirit uses the currency. When everyone has exchanged their money, I bid farewell to Citrine and leave the exchange booth.

"Next is the breakfast you've all been waiting for!

My words raise the spirits of the little army. I guess Sarah and the others were looking forward to a meal in the cafeteria. The food is not that different, but Ruby's unique twist and flavorings add excitement to an otherwise ordinary day. The bigger the village of the spirits becomes, the more fun they will have.

Because of the nature of the spirits, they will not do any kind of illegal business, and the village may become a safe and pleasant place to live. But it will not have the facilities to release people's desires that I want. ...... That's a bit of a pity.

"Okay, I'm going into the dining room, but make sure you follow Ruby and Onyx's instructions."

He enters the cafeteria with an army of little ones in tow, who cheerfully respond to him.

"Welcome! Welcome."

As we opened the door and entered, Ruby greeted us cheerfully and Onyx greeted us with the air of a bar girl. The gap between them is too big. Especially Onyx, who looks like a junior high school student, please don't give off the vibe of a bar girl.

"Okay, everyone line up here!"

Onyx moves to the counter next to the kitchen and beckons the little army. Again, it is Bell who takes the lead here. Her curiosity is strong and she charges in without hesitation. Rain and Fukuchan and the others follow, and they form a neat line. Except for Gina and the others, everyone is flying, which feels a little strange to me, but I'm not sure. .......

Belle is the best. Here's the menu. The pictures should give you a general idea of what's on it, but if you have any questions, just ask.

"Okay!"

After hearing Onyx's explanation, Belle is excited to see the menu and says, "There are so many! The line had been neatly formed before, but it seems that everyone wants to check the menu and the line is completely collapsed. What should I do?

Gina is at a delicate age where she should be treated as an adult or a child. In this world, she is definitely an adult, but in Japan, she is not an adult,...... but she is a beautiful woman with a wonderful appearance,...... and it bothers me.

"Hey, everyone, the line is getting a little bit disorganized. You can check the menu when it's your turn, so let's line up properly now."

The little army of kids + Gina who are obediently getting back in line when I call out to them. They're all nice and obedient.

"Mmm, beru, eat this!"

Belle happily points at the menu with her tiny finger and orders. She is stomping her feet in the air, as if the act of ordering itself is fun. It's adorable.

We were limited to the snack time for desserts because of the low milk supply, but I'm sure she would have been even more excited if we had had that.

"Oak bowl set meal. It's 500 elt, that's five coppers."

Bell chose the orc bowl. It's a new menu item that only a diner in a paradise with rice can offer. When asked for a recipe for a dish using rice, I gave it to her, but once again I was impressed by Belle's curiosity in choosing a menu item that she had never seen before.

"Gohyaku itto!"

Bell quickly unfolds a leather bag and places it on the counter, counting the coppers. She looks extremely happy. I wonder if this is the first time in her life that she's made a purchase.　Then, as a contractor, I'll make sure to save this scene in my memory.

"Certainly. Then take this number slip and sit wherever you like. When the food is ready, I will call this number and you will come and get it. This number is the first one, don't forget it."

Maybe it's because it's the first time, but that's a lot of explanation. I'm trying to teach you how to do fast food, but I guess it's a little confusing at first. But once everyone gets used to the system, it should be fine. The drawback is that many of the spirits can't read, so I have to explain it to them.

I asked Sylphy about it, and she said that it is only when they become intermediate level spirits that they become interested in letters and so on. I think that's why the menu has a lot of pictures, but I haven't seen the pictures yet. Saffie said that she is good at drawing, but I wonder what it looks like.

"Okay!"

Bell receives a wooden tag from Onyx and holds it up in front of everyone. The little army of kids cheers at that + Gina ...... I don't know why they do that, but it looks like fun, so I guess it's okay.

But it's going to take a while to order. Maybe we need to have the ushers explain the system in advance and add a few more order counters. I will suggest this for tonight's agenda.